Is the president being reasonable in his DACA deal?

Immigration is one of the most difficult issues this country faces. This country, since its founding, has been a beacon of light to other countries; a place where people can come and build a better life for them and there families. That is still the case today. An example of this is the DACA program. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is a program which has around 800,000 people in it. DACA has allowed these people to remain here in this country legally if they met certain criteria: if they were brought here before they were 16 prior to June 2007, and were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012. You have to be in school or have graduated, and you have to be considered not a threat to this country. These people, also known as dreamers, would receive a renewable two-year period of differed action on deportation and be eligible for a work permit. The policy was established under the Obama administration.

Earlier this year, President Trump suspended the program and gave Congress six months to reach a deal to keep the program. Last month, President Trump and Democrat congressional leaders announced they had reached a framework on a deal to keep the program. It was felt by many that they just needed to negotiate some fine points and it would be a done deal. Late Sunday night, the Trump administration released what it wants in order to keep DACA. In his list of demands are several things that the Democrats consider deal breakers – from making it harder for unaccompanied minors to enter the country, to cuts to legal immigration, to money for the border wall. The question of the day: Is President Trump being reasonable in what he is requesting?

Those who think the president is being reasonable argue that when you start off any negotiation you ask for everything you want because you are going to have to give something up in the negotiations, so you might as well ask for the world. Also, they will tell you the president has long wanted the wall and if the Democrats want DACA so bad, then is it that unreasonable to give the president something he wants equally as bad. Plus, they tell you increased border security funding has always been part of what they agreed on in the beginning, and that is what the president is requesting.

People who think the president is being unreasonable argue that he is holding the lives of some 800,000 people hostage for things that go against everything for which the Democrats stand. They see this as nothing more than trying to placate the president’s base. They feel a deal was reached and now the president is coming back and trying to force them to give up on positions they swore to protect; that his list of demands is a hard right xenophobic wish list that does not represent what this country is all about.

The lives of 800,000 people will be affected over the next few months as politicians negotiate their fate. Those who support the president feel he is doing what he swore to do to protect this country. Those who are against him feel he is playing politics with the lives of 800,000 people to make his political base happy.

CBS News covered the list of President Trumps demands.

The Issue

Is the president being reasonable in what he wants for a deal on DACA? Is money for the wall and other security measures fair, or is the president playing politics with 800,000 people’s lives to please his base?

Trump is being reasonable about DACA

People who think the president is being fair argue that he is trying to protect this country. Asking for tighter border security and a reduction in immigration is not unreasonable.

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